Well, we're on the road after fixing the air leaks and now a new question. Never had Black smoke when accelerating before. Some blue usually when first taking off, but this time black and it continues. Yes, it's an old bus and previously when the engine would lug it would smoke, but always stopped as I changed gears. Now, today, with the slightest acceleration it smokes. We have been sitting for 3 months. When we bought it in 2003' were told the engine had been rebuilt 60,000 miles prior to us buying it. Would have to go thru paperwork to find what the hub meter read at that time, but think it was 360,000+. We've put on less than 50,000. We spent 3 wks at Luke's a year ago fixing stuff. Billy went over the engine then, fixed some oil leaks and said it was a good old engine. Anyway, suggestions?Rich Murphy

ck reset flapper on blower it might be partial closed. first ck air cleaner-do you have a flow gauge? it would be green to yellow red clogged. If you have oil bath ck for blockage bird nest stray walmart bag muddobber nest ect. Good time to add what type of bus you gave to your signature.

You don't have any information about your bus in your profile and no signature.

My guess is that you have an 8V71 and no turbo. You are in the 4-6+K feet altitude range as you travel up I-25 in Colorado. Plus, there are a bunch more hills than you might imagine. I would expect some smoke when you get on the throttle.

I doubt that it would be the air flap issue (shuts the down in an emergency). You might not even have one. If it was a flap, you would have a hard time starting the engine and almost no power.

TomC probably hit the nail on the head. Probably an air cleaner issue. Any chance a bird could have built a nest in the intake?

Have you changed locations the higher the altitude the more black smoke they start around 2000 ft above sea level

good luck

that colorado campground is 8500. does that mean i'm gonna starve for air, and blow black smoke up the hills? just a quick note, i don't want to steal the thread. if this gets more than a quick comment, i'll open a new thread if i have more questions.

Logged

Tom 1991 Eagle 15 and proud of it.8V92T, 740, Fulltime working on the road.

If you're going to stay at that altitude permanently and need to deal with the smoke problem, a turbo will introduce more air and reduce the smoke, or de-tuning with smaller injectors will reduce the smoke. Smaller injectors would normally reduce the power as well, but at altitude the lack of air is already reducing the power so smaller injectors just prevents an over-rich fuel situation so the power reduction would be less. Of course, using part throttle accomplishes the same thing for free, I guess...

?NOt to derail this thread at all but yall mentioned something about a bird nest and it got me to thinking. I was working on the bus the other day and I saw a mouse in the barn near the bus. Later I had the engine running while I was sitting in a chair near the rear bumper under the hood. I was working on the WVO system. All of a sudden I heard a very strange noise coming from the engine compartment. I could not pin point it as my brain wasn't grasping the noise at all. I was trying to figure it out and all of a sudden it went away, cleasred right up. It was so fast I didn't have time to figure it out. It has not done it since then nor never has it done it in the past. I'll bet you a nickel to a pickle when I get home today I am going to find mouse evidence in the air intake. I am thinking a mouse got sucked into the turbo. I have practiced alternative fueling but running on mouse juice is a little extreme for even me.

I'm atake my time kinda guy with a desire to clean the pipes once or twice a trip, that said coming out of Skull Valley AZ to Sedona on 89? Flagstaff to Santa Santa Rosa .....just feels nice to finally hit the flats west of Amarillo .....I guy can really get some efficiency....without blowin wasted fuel out the exhaust. try the west side of Yosemite....

Black smoke at altitude is the main reason I turbocharged my 8V-71. Granted on initial acceleration there is a bit more black smoke, but it clears up right away. Nice to have full power at altitude without the black smoke. Over 5,000ft I do have just the slightest bit of smoke on full pedal-but just pull up a bit and it is clear. Plus the extra power is quite noticeable. Good Luck, TomC

I do have an 8v-71 no turbo. Converted from oil air filter at Luke's about 13000 miles ago. Have not set long enough for birds to build

So Rich: How many actual miles do you have on the PRESENT air filter element? Anything over 3,000, it is probably time to change it. And if you have been through any dust storms, maybe a whole lot sooner.

The problem I have with the minder is no one ever calibrates the thing to the engine make and model people just throw down 20 bucks and screw it in. A friend of mine had one he bought off Ebay and it was set on 20Hg and he never changed the filter till the 8v71 was barely running and smoking like crazy because the gauge wasn't in the red lol

They make different ones than 20 in water column I have a couple of 12 h2o all your washable filters use a different one,me I never used one as they are made to sell filters on a rainy day in Georgia they will show red lol do you change the filter then I think not just another got to have gimmick to me